Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.
Albizia chevalieri is a thorny tree of the African Sahel. It grows in dry parts of Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Chad and Sudan. Healers there have used its bark, leaves and roots.
In folk practice it was given for coughs, loose stools, fevers and skin sores. The bark is bitter and full of tannins. The tree also supplies firewood, timber and animal fodder.
Here is the honest verdict on evidence. There are no human trials of this plant. A handful of test tube studies exist, and little else.
Long use in a tradition tells you people trusted it. It does not prove that the plant works, and it does not prove that it is safe. You will not see that point repeated below, but it applies to every use on this page.
Nobody has shown how this plant acts in the human body. What follows is early lab work and informed guessing.
In test tubes, bark extracts of Albizia species slow the growth of some bacteria and fungi. Whether that happens on skin or in the gut is unknown.
In the same kind of lab tests, the bark mops up free radicals. This is a common result for any tannin-rich bark. It does not show a health benefit in people.
Tannins bind proteins and tighten tissue in the mouth. That effect is why many bitter barks were used for diarrhoea. The link to real relief has not been tested in people.
Some Albizia species have shown calming or anti-inflammatory effects in rodents. Those results come from other species, not from this one. They should not be read across to Albizia chevalieri.
It is used mostly as raw plant material, not as a packaged supplement.
The usual forms are: - dried bark, in pieces or ground to powder - a water decoction of bark or root - dried leaf powder - crushed fresh leaf, put on the skin in folk practice
You will rarely find it in shops in Europe or North America. Capsules, extracts and tinctures are not widely sold. There is no agreed quality standard, and no test that confirms what is in a bag of bark.
Albizia chevalieri has a long record in traditional medicine across the Sahel. Village healers in Hausa-speaking areas of Nigeria and Niger used the bark most often.
Written records and plant surveys list past uses for coughs, chest complaints, loose stools, fever and wounds. Bark was usually boiled in water. Leaves were sometimes crushed and placed on sores.
The tree also had everyday roles. Herders fed the leaves and pods to livestock. The wood was used for building and fuel.
This page describes what people did. It is not an endorsement of treating yourself with the bark today.
Stop taking it and speak to a doctor if you feel unwell after using it.
Get medical help the same day if you have: - vomiting that will not stop, or severe stomach pain - yellow skin or eyes, or very dark urine - a spreading rash, swelling of the face or lips, or trouble breathing - blood in your stool
See a doctor first, rather than using this plant, if a cough, fever or diarrhoea lasts more than two or three days. Diarrhoea in a small child or an older adult needs care quickly. A fever in a malaria area needs a test, not a home remedy.
In the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union, Albizia chevalieri is not approved as a medicine and is not a common supplement. In parts of West Africa it is sold in local markets as traditional plant material, outside drug regulation.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
What it is typically used for, usual dose, cautions, and the study behind it where real trial data exists.
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